diff --git a/planetwars-server/migrations/2022-01-02-105610_matches/down.sql b/planetwars-server/migrations/2022-01-02-105610_matches/down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eadd0fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/planetwars-server/migrations/2022-01-02-105610_matches/down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+DROP TABLE match_players;
+DROP INDEX match_created_at;
+DROP TABLE matches;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/planetwars-server/migrations/2022-01-02-105610_matches/up.sql b/planetwars-server/migrations/2022-01-02-105610_matches/up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..88c8c9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/planetwars-server/migrations/2022-01-02-105610_matches/up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+CREATE TABLE matches (
+    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
+    log_path text NOT NULL,
+    created_at timestamp NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX match_created_at ON matches(created_at);
+
+CREATE TABLE match_players (
+    match_id integer REFERENCES matches(id) NOT NULL,
+    bot_id integer REFERENCES bots(id) NOT NULL,
+    player_id integer NOT NULL,
+    PRIMARY KEY (match_id, player_id)
+);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/planetwars-server/src/db/matches.rs b/planetwars-server/src/db/matches.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85f0631
--- /dev/null
+++ b/planetwars-server/src/db/matches.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+use chrono::NaiveDateTime;
+use diesel::{BelongingToDsl, RunQueryDsl};
+use diesel::{Connection, GroupedBy, PgConnection, QueryResult};
+
+use crate::schema::{match_players, matches};
+
+#[derive(Insertable)]
+#[table_name = "matches"]
+pub struct NewMatch<'a> {
+    pub log_path: &'a str,
+}
+
+#[derive(Insertable)]
+#[table_name = "match_players"]
+pub struct NewMatchPlayer {
+    /// id of the match this player is in
+    pub match_id: i32,
+    /// id of the bot behind this player
+    pub bot_id: i32,
+    /// player id within the match
+    pub player_id: i32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Queryable, Identifiable)]
+#[table_name = "matches"]
+pub struct MatchBase {
+    pub id: i32,
+    pub log_path: String,
+    pub created_at: NaiveDateTime,
+}
+
+#[derive(Queryable, Identifiable, Associations)]
+#[primary_key(match_id, player_id)]
+#[belongs_to(MatchBase, foreign_key = "match_id")]
+pub struct MatchPlayer {
+    pub match_id: i32,
+    pub bot_id: i32,
+    pub player_id: i32,
+}
+
+pub struct MatchPlayerData {
+    pub bot_id: i32,
+}
+
+pub fn create_match(
+    match_data: &NewMatch,
+    match_players: &[MatchPlayerData],
+    conn: &PgConnection,
+) -> QueryResult<i32> {
+    conn.transaction(|| {
+        let match_base = diesel::insert_into(matches::table)
+            .values(match_data)
+            .get_result::<MatchBase>(conn)?;
+
+        let match_players = match_players
+            .iter()
+            .enumerate()
+            .map(|(num, player_data)| NewMatchPlayer {
+                match_id: match_base.id,
+                bot_id: player_data.bot_id,
+                player_id: num as i32,
+            })
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+        diesel::insert_into(match_players::table)
+            .values(&match_players)
+            .execute(conn)?;
+
+        Ok(match_base.id)
+    })
+}
+
+pub struct MatchData {
+    pub base: MatchBase,
+    pub match_players: Vec<MatchPlayer>,
+}
+
+pub fn list_matches(conn: &PgConnection) -> QueryResult<Vec<MatchData>> {
+    conn.transaction(|| {
+        let matches = matches::table.get_results::<MatchBase>(conn)?;
+
+        let match_players = MatchPlayer::belonging_to(&matches)
+            .load::<MatchPlayer>(conn)?
+            .grouped_by(&matches);
+
+        let res = matches
+            .into_iter()
+            .zip(match_players.into_iter())
+            .map(|(base, players)| MatchData {
+                base,
+                match_players: players.into_iter().collect(),
+            })
+            .collect();
+
+        Ok(res)
+    })
+}
diff --git a/planetwars-server/src/db/mod.rs b/planetwars-server/src/db/mod.rs
index 947b789..7a950c6 100644
--- a/planetwars-server/src/db/mod.rs
+++ b/planetwars-server/src/db/mod.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 pub mod bots;
+pub mod matches;
 pub mod sessions;
 pub mod users;
diff --git a/planetwars-server/src/lib.rs b/planetwars-server/src/lib.rs
index 1d08580..7eaa5a0 100644
--- a/planetwars-server/src/lib.rs
+++ b/planetwars-server/src/lib.rs
@@ -48,7 +48,10 @@ pub async fn api() -> Router {
             "/bots/:bot_id/upload",
             post(routes::bots::upload_code_multipart),
         )
-        .route("/matches", post(routes::matches::play_match))
+        .route(
+            "/matches",
+            get(routes::matches::list_matches).post(routes::matches::play_match),
+        )
         .layer(AddExtensionLayer::new(pool));
     api
 }
diff --git a/planetwars-server/src/routes/matches.rs b/planetwars-server/src/routes/matches.rs
index 4a556af..f2c5186 100644
--- a/planetwars-server/src/routes/matches.rs
+++ b/planetwars-server/src/routes/matches.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
-use axum::Json;
+use axum::{extract::Extension, Json};
 use hyper::StatusCode;
 use planetwars_matchrunner::{run_match, MatchConfig, MatchPlayer};
 use rand::{distributions::Alphanumeric, Rng};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
 use crate::{
-    db::{bots, users::User},
-    DatabaseConnection, BOTS_DIR, MAPS_DIR, MATCHES_DIR,
+    db::{bots, matches, users::User},
+    ConnectionPool, DatabaseConnection, BOTS_DIR, MAPS_DIR, MATCHES_DIR,
 };
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug)]
@@ -18,10 +18,11 @@ pub struct MatchParams {
 }
 
 pub async fn play_match(
-    user: User,
-    conn: DatabaseConnection,
+    _user: User,
+    Extension(pool): Extension<ConnectionPool>,
     Json(params): Json<MatchParams>,
 ) -> Result<(), StatusCode> {
+    let conn = pool.get().await.expect("could not get database connection");
     let map_path = PathBuf::from(MAPS_DIR).join("hex.json");
 
     let slug: String = rand::thread_rng()
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ pub async fn play_match(
     let log_path = PathBuf::from(MATCHES_DIR).join(&format!("{}.log", slug));
 
     let mut players = Vec::new();
+    let mut bot_ids = Vec::new();
     for bot_name in params.players {
         let bot = bots::find_bot(bot_name, &conn).map_err(|_| StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST)?;
         let code_bundle =
@@ -49,19 +51,66 @@ pub async fn play_match(
                 // TODO: this is an user error, should ideally be handled before we get here
                 .ok_or_else(|| StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)?,
         });
+
+        bot_ids.push(matches::MatchPlayerData { bot_id: bot.id });
     }
 
     let match_config = MatchConfig {
         map_name: "hex".to_string(),
         map_path,
         log_path: log_path.clone(),
-        players,
+        players: players,
     };
 
-    tokio::spawn(run_match(match_config));
+    tokio::spawn(run_match_task(match_config, bot_ids, pool.clone()));
     Ok(())
 }
 
+async fn run_match_task(
+    config: MatchConfig,
+    match_players: Vec<matches::MatchPlayerData>,
+    pool: ConnectionPool,
+) {
+    let log_path = config.log_path.as_os_str().to_str().unwrap().to_string();
+    let match_data = matches::NewMatch {
+        log_path: &log_path,
+    };
+
+    run_match(config).await;
+    let conn = pool.get().await.expect("could not get database connection");
+    matches::create_match(&match_data, &match_players, &conn).expect("could not create match");
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ApiMatch {
+    id: i32,
+    timestamp: chrono::NaiveDateTime,
+    players: Vec<ApiMatchPlayer>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ApiMatchPlayer {
+    bot_id: i32,
+}
+
+pub async fn list_matches(conn: DatabaseConnection) -> Result<Json<Vec<ApiMatch>>, StatusCode> {
+    matches::list_matches(&conn)
+        .map_err(|_| StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST)
+        .map(|matches| Json(matches.into_iter().map(match_data_to_api).collect()))
+}
+
+fn match_data_to_api(data: matches::MatchData) -> ApiMatch {
+    ApiMatch {
+        id: data.base.id,
+        timestamp: data.base.created_at,
+        players: data
+            .match_players
+            .iter()
+            .map(|p| ApiMatchPlayer { bot_id: p.bot_id })
+            .collect(),
+    }
+}
+
 // TODO: this is duplicated from planetwars-cli
 // clean this up and move to matchrunner crate
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
diff --git a/planetwars-server/src/schema.rs b/planetwars-server/src/schema.rs
index bf58434..413c4d1 100644
--- a/planetwars-server/src/schema.rs
+++ b/planetwars-server/src/schema.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,22 @@ table! {
     }
 }
 
+table! {
+    match_players (match_id, player_id) {
+        match_id -> Int4,
+        bot_id -> Int4,
+        player_id -> Int4,
+    }
+}
+
+table! {
+    matches (id) {
+        id -> Int4,
+        log_path -> Text,
+        created_at -> Timestamp,
+    }
+}
+
 table! {
     sessions (id) {
         id -> Int4,
@@ -34,6 +50,8 @@ table! {
 
 joinable!(bots -> users (owner_id));
 joinable!(code_bundles -> bots (bot_id));
+joinable!(match_players -> bots (bot_id));
+joinable!(match_players -> matches (match_id));
 joinable!(sessions -> users (user_id));
 
-allow_tables_to_appear_in_same_query!(bots, code_bundles, sessions, users,);
+allow_tables_to_appear_in_same_query!(bots, code_bundles, match_players, matches, sessions, users,);